Jerusalem was to be the city of God, where the Name of the Lord dwells.
• It wasn’t the physical infrastructure that God was concerned about but the community of His people living in worship of Him and being a witness to the nations.
• So the brick and mortar of the city of Jerusalem wasn’t an end in itself. It was to be a means to an end.
Nehemiah’s ultimate concern wasn’t the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.
• When he first posed the question to his brother Hahani in Susa (Neh 1), he “questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.” (1:2)
• And his subsequently prayer in chapter 1 showed his concern for the spiritual state of his people.
• Now that the wall has been rebuilt, God laid upon his heart the burden to repopulate the city and build up the community, because 7:4 “the city was large and spacious but there were few people in it, and the houses had not yet been rebuilt.”
Restoring this community of faith would mean that Nehemiah would have to identify the Jewish remnant and encourage them to move into Jerusalem.
• That’s just the first step. Subsequently in the next few chapters, we see the people of God returning to the Word of God and the worship of God.
• This defines the people of God – their faith in God, their worship of God, and their witness before the nations.
• That’s us today, the people of God. The church is not a building, but a community of God’s people obeying and worshipping God, and living as a witness for God.
So Nehemiah started to identify the remnant through registration by families.
• He searched the archives and found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return, during Zerubbabel’s time.
• Which explains why this list was similar to the list in Ezra 2, the record of the first returnees. You can flip between Neh 7 and Ezra 2 and compare the lists.
• They are similar but not entirely the same. We have the same groupings according to their ancestral lineage, hometowns and occupations (priests, Levites, singers, temple servants and descendants of Solomon’ servants).
BUT some names were written differently, let me highlight some.
• Among the leaders (Neh 7:7 vs Ezra 2:2): Azariah was Seraiah (in Ezra), Raamiah was Reelaiah (E), Mispereth was Mispar (E), Nehum was Rehum (E).
• Nehemiah’s list has a new name Nahamani, not in Ezra’s list.
• Of the family names, Binnui (7:15) was Bani (E), Hariph (7:24)-Jorah and Gibeon (7:25)-Gibbar.
• Among the towns, Nehemiah’s list omitted Magbish (after Nebo, Ezra 2:30).
• The numbers too we see some differences, in 19 of them.
The first list in Ezra 2 was drafted when the first batch of returnees came back, which was nearly a century ago.
• The current record would have been copied and recopied, and likely updated with the right spellings, late arrivals, demises or other corrections.
• We can expect such variations in ancient documents.
• If Ezra, being the author/compiler of this one scroll Ezra-Nehemiah, has left it as that, then it is good enough for us. If he wanted to ensure they were exactly the same, he could have duplicated it.
The main objective was to identify the remnant that God has led home from exile.
• It’s not about counting people, but making sure these people counted. Are the Jews? Do they belong to the community of faith?
• Their return testified to the fulfilment of God’s promise.
• The remnant, now back in Jerusalem, is now the living link that connects the historical past of Israel with the prophetic future of Israel.
• God will keep a remnant and re-establish this nation because Jesus Christ, His son, will ultimately come through this place, in God’s plan of salvation for the world.
Such genealogical records are important because it is God’s way of testifying to His faithfulness and His promise to Abraham.
• Abraham’s descendants will become a blessing to the nations. God keeps His covenant and such records prove it. “These are Abraham’s descendants!”
• They were particularly careful with those who “could not show that their families were descended from Israel.” (7:61).
• More so for the priests who could not prove their ancestry (7:64-65), they were barred from ministering at the altar because only descendants of Aaron can do that.
God keeps His promise. God keeps His covenant with Abraham and his descendants.
• God keeps a remnant, despite the fall of Israel and Judah.
• God brings them back from exile and re-establish His people.
It is actually quite amazing to see Ezra and Nehemiah, and probably many others, born in exile but being fully aware of their identity, just like Daniel and Esther too.
• They knew WHO they were - Jews belonging to the nation Israel and having a covenant with Jehovah God through their ancestor Abraham.
• They knew Him as the one true God, they continued to worship and pray to this God in exile. They knew God’s commandments given through Moses and that their forefathers had sinned against God, and hence their exile.
• Even though they lived in a foreign land, they were well taught (likely by the priests and scribes in exile) to know WHO they are, WHERE they belong, WHO God is, and HOW they ought to live.
God kept a faithful remnant in exile. By His grace and in His mercy.
Do we know WHO we are today? Do we know WHOM we belong to?
• We are blessed to be children of God today because God has made a new covenant with us through the sacrifice of Jesus.
• We belong to God, by grace through faith in Christ. We are not random numbers. We are the redeemed of the Lord, the people of God’s own choosing. So treasure this gift of new life, give thanks and serve Him faithfully.
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One thing that stands out in the genealogical record is the group of occupations highlighted - the priests (7:39), the Levites (7:47), the singers (7:44), the temple servants (7:46) and descendants of the servants of Solomon (7:46) – they are the roles required in the ministry of the Temple of God.
• It shows the importance of this ministry, the importance of the WORSHIP of God.
• This is the distinctive mark of the people of God!
• Each time Moses confronted Pharaoh and asked for the release of his people (Exo 8-10), he said, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me."” (seven times he said it)
That’s what makes Israel the people of God - the worship of God! We’ll see in the next chapter. We worship Him every day and corporately on Sundays.
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Let me close with what Nehemiah did at the start to ensure the safety of his people.
• Before he started to get the people to move in, Nehemiah took steps to secure the city by arranging for gatekeepers and guards to stand at their posts and some near their own houses, which made good sense because they would naturally be more vigilant protecting near their homes.
It is one thing to have walls and gates, but quite another to make sure that no spy or enemy can infiltrate the city, like a Trojan horse.
• Especially so when Neh 6 tells us the enemies did not stop intimidating Nehemiah and the scheming Tobiah has many connections and much influence among the nobles.
• The Wall of China was penetrated by the enemy at least 4 times in history, and each time the guards were bribed. Gates and walls are only as good as the people guarding them.
7:2 Nehemiah appointed trustworthy men – his brother Hanani and Hananiah the commander of the citadel – to be in charge of securing the city.
• Nehemiah instructed that the gates to be shut at night and to be opened only when “the sun is hot” (7:3), when everyone is fully awake.
• Clearly to prevent any untoward characters from slipping into the city in darkness or when people are still not awake.
Note Nehemiah’s choice of men, both with proven track record and cannot be bought.
• Hahani his brother was the one who came to Susa to look for him (Neh 1), so he has been the loyal and trusted supporter from the start.
• Hananiah was introduced as “a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do.” (7:2). ESV: “for he was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many.”
There wasn’t any mention of their capabilities, just faithful to God and fearing God.
• They are related qualities. If you fear God, you will be faithful. And if you are faithful, it is because you fear God.
• I believe they were capable leaders but Nehemiah highlighted what was most important – character.
What has integrity and the fear of God to do with the security of a city?
• Everything, that is, if they believe that God has been their sovereign Guardian over the duration of the rebuilding and the reason for its success.
• True protection would not come from the walls and the gates but from God.
• King David understood this when he wrote in Psalm 127:1 “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”
God will bless the community with His presence and protection.
• Not only has the walls been rebuilt, the community of God would be re-established.
• God will bring them back to Himself. They will gather as one people to listen to His Word and worship Him.
That’s who we are today. We are the people of God committed to hear His Word and worship Him.
• We are committed to building God’s church - not the building, not the programmes - but the people of God.
• We come together to edify one another and encourage one another to stay faithful.
• We come, not just to be encouraged, but to encourage; not just to be blessed, but to bless; not just to take and take, but to give and give.
Will your name be found in the list of the remnant?
• If you do not know Jesus as your Saviour and Lord, or you are still not sure, then you may want to ask this question.
• Am I a part of this community of faith? Will my name be found in the Book of life?
• We are not here to count people; we want to make sure that you are counted.
• You matters to God. Make the decision to put your trust in Jesus Christ and follow Him as your Saviour and as your Lord.
